Chapter Five

                                    

                                          
  "Little Doe, you gotta wake up, I have to get up love." I groan, wrapping my arm tighter around her waist. I hear her sigh as she kisses the top of my head. "Come on baby, I've got to get up. Winter and Ava are on the way over." I open one eye and look up at her. "You gotta get up baby, I promise we can take a nap together when I come home." I sigh, rolling off of her. "What time is it?" I ask, stretching out on the bed. "It's like seven but Winter doesn't have any classes today so you could hang out with her if you wanted." Winona smiles. "I don't have money to go anywhere, I have to wait for my check to come in." I sigh. 
  Winona pulls out her wallet, slipping her credit card onto the side table. "Now you do, you're not going to stay here and mope around on the couch while I'm gone Little Doe." Winona winks at me, rolling out of bed and walking into the bathroom. I pull myself out from under the blanket, walking into the kitchen to get some food or even water in my system, my throat felt drier than the Sahara Desert. I open the fridge taking out Winona's water bottle, taking a couple of sips. 
  Ava and Winter walk in both of them looking far too exhausted. "Well don't you guys look wide and awake." I laugh. "I didn't think I would be up this early but it looks like we're going shopping." Winter smiles at me. Winter is about five feet, four inches. She's got natural platinum blonde hair, with ice blue eyes. It's not a shocker that my best friend fell for her, she's always been a sucker for the ice blue eyes. Ava was only five feet, two inches, she's got the auburn hair, and the lightest brown eyes. Ava was just wearing grey sweats and a black hoodie that she matched with her black high top converse. Winter was wearing high waist, blue skinny jeans, a white short sleeve crop top, and a pair of black ballet flats. I smiled back at her, when I felt a pair of arms around my waist. "You should probably go get ready, I'll keep them company." Winona kisses the top of my head. "I planned on getting ready, I just needed to steal some of your water first." I pull myself out of her grasp. 
  "I'll be back in like five minutes, if you would like feel free to use my makeup." I tell Winter before walking into my room. I shut the door behind me, I looked in my closet and sighed. I didn't know what the hell to wear to the mall today, whether I wanted to be my inner Adam Sandler, or if I wanted to be extremely feminine. "Ava, come here please." I yelled out. A minute later she walks in, closing the door behind her. "Adam Sandler or extremely feminine?" I question with a whine in my voice. "Feminine, wear that black crop top, your ripped jean shorts, fishnets, and most definitely your knee high black converse that you never wear anymore." Ava nods, before walking out of my room. 
  I pulled out all the items she told me too, I replaced my shorts and t-shirt for the outfit that Ava picked out. I checked my outfit in the mirror and nodded my head, I walked out of my room. "You really don't have the same style you did in high school." Winter whistles. "I changed it up a lot just so I could try to hide somewhere." I shrugged my shoulders. "I will admit though that you look hot as fuck." Winona smiles. I roll my eyes at her, smiling slightly. Winona was a six feet, two inches, dark brown hair, and piercing green eyes. She was wearing black sweatpants and a black t-shirt. "Should you really wear those today?" I question, arching a brow. "Baby, this is all yours. I'll get your name tattooed on my little friend." She chuckles. 
  Winona was also intersex, which she didn't like flaunting around everywhere. You see she was born with a penis but she had a good deal of boob, she's a D cup now from when she was in high school they were only in the lowest C cup. That's not the point though, she's just an all out confident person now in who she is. "Please don't get my name tattooed down there, we already agreed years ago not to get names tattooed." I sighed. She shrugs her shoulders and runs to her room to grab her backpack. "Okay, I'm going to run to do my makeup really quick, I will be right back." I yawn, running to the bathroom. I just decide to do my upper and lower waterline with black eyeliner before throwing my hair up into a high ponytail. 
  I walk back into my room, grabbing my purse and throwing my phone into it. I walk back out and bump into Winona. "You're forgetting something." Her arms are crossed over her chest, her eyebrow arched. "I did?" I ask. She holds her hand out, palm up, with a black card shining. "I did." I sigh, grabbing it, and throwing it into my purse. I reach up on my tip toes, and give her a small kiss. "Have fun with your classes, and please update me throughout your day." I mumble. "I will baby I promise, we'll go out when we both have an off day." I nod my head as her and Ava walk out the front door. "So where we going first?" Winter asks. "Let's get fast food breakfast then the mall." I smirk. " I love where this is heading." 
  We left the apartment. We ended up stopping at McDonald's for a quick breakfast, then took an hour drive to the mall. We walk in and the first place we go is the book store at my request. "You never stopped reading?" Winter questions. "No, I never stopped reading, it's what kept me sane was being able to escape to a different reality." I shrug. As we're walking around and I'm picking books up I notice Winter seems off. "What's wrong Winter?" I question. "I'm just worried about you is all." She mumbles in response. "I'm okay Winter, I promise." I give her a small smile. We go and checkout my ten new books before walking around. "I'm not going to lie to you, I really don't like that you ended up with Winona again. I'm actually really worried about what she could do to you, yes she's changed a lot since high school but I never want to see you go through what you went through because of what she did. I hated Winona for months after the gym scene." She looked like she was on the verge of tears. I grab her hand and drag her to a sitting area. 
  "Winter, I had no idea." I looked at her confused. "Look, you and I were always close, I called you my sister for the longest time. When I heard what they were saying, seeing what they were doing to you, I was pissed. I actually got suspended a couple of times because I fought a couple of people who were talking shit about you. I never wanted to lose you because of her mistakes. I just know that I never want to see you hurt again E, I can't stand to lose you a second time." My eyes started watering up at her confession. "You won't lose me again whether you and Ava breakup or Winona and I do. I will never leave you alone again. The only reason I did was because I was so mad at Winona, I was so depressed, that I basically was on the verge of no longer wanting to exist but that's when I met Ava." I smile softly. "I'm glad you found her when you did Eden, truly." We smiled at each other. "So where do we want to go next?" Winter asks. "I have quite the idea." I nodded. 
  We ended up going to Hot Topic for myself, then turned around and went to Ross for Winter. Since we had ultimately different styles of clothing now, we had to go to two different stores. We then went to Journery's, I ended up picking up a new pair of black Vans, while Winter got a baby blue pair of Adidas. Winter suggested Ulta, and we ended up leaving with two very full bags of makeup. "I say we go put these in my car and then we go back to your place and eat junk food." Winter smiles. "It's been so long since we've done that." I whine. We hurriedly got into her car after throwing the bags in the trunk, we drove the hour back to my apartment. 
  Once we got inside, Winter turned the TV on and I went to pull out snacks. I had an armful of snacks and a bowl of popcorn that I carried into the living room. I set the bowl down on the coffee table and then dumped my armful of snacks onto the couch. I sat down next to Winter as she pulled up some kind of romance movie. "How are you and Ava?" I ask. "We're really good, I've never been happier with someone." I smile brightly at her response. "You only deserve the best of the best." She nods her head slowly. "I'm proud of you Eden. The person you've become and even more proud of the person you were. I love you Eden so much more than I will ever let on, you are my sister, and I hold you dear to my heart." 
  "I love you too Winter, you're the best sister I've ever had."